9 more soldiers killed in Iraq

Robert H. Reid, The Associated Press

Updated 10:00 pm, Monday, September 10, 2007

BAGHDAD -- The U.S. military reported the deaths of nine soldiers Monday -- including seven killed in a vehicle accident -- and Iraq's prime minister said the nation's armed forces were not ready to fight without American help.

The statements echoed some of the key struggles in Washington as lawmakers began long-awaited hearings on U.S. strategies in Iraq.

Among the core issues is whether Iraq's leadership is moving fast enough at political reconciliation and assuming security responsibilities while U.S. troop deaths have risen to at least 3,772 in the 4 1/2-year war.

Prime Minister Nouri Al-Maliki told Iraq's parliament that the American military is still needed despite what he described as a sharp drop in violence in the Baghdad area since President Bush ordered nearly 30,000 extra troops to Iraq this year.

"We still need more efforts and time in order for our armed forces to be able to take over security in all Iraqi provinces from the multinational forces that helped us a great deal in fighting terrorism and outlaws," al-Maliki said just hours before U.S. Ambassador Ryan Crocker and the top commander in Iraq, Gen. David Petraeus, began testifying in Washington before Congress.

Petraeus said he envisions gradually scaling back the U.S. troop strength in Iraq to about 130,000 by next summer -- roughly the number before the U.S. surge earlier this year.

In western Baghdad, seven U.S. soldiers were killed in a vehicle accident that also claimed the lives of two detainees, the military said. Eleven soldiers from Multinational Division-Baghdad and one detainee also were injured in the west Baghdad accident, the military said without giving further details. A U.S. spokesman said all the victims were in the same vehicle.

Another U.S. soldier was killed and two were injured when their vehicle overturned east of the capital, the military said in a news release. The military also said a soldier died Sunday of wounds suffered in fighting near Kirkuk in northern Iraq.

Al-Maliki, a Shiite, said violence had dropped 75 percent in the Baghdad area since stepped-up military operations began there Feb. 14 -- although he offered no detailed figures.

A tally of civilian deaths compiled by The Associated Press showed a less dramatic drop in the Baghdad area -- from 1,148 in February to 669 in August. The overall level of civilian deaths around the country, however, remained relatively steady as violence shifted to other regions, according to the AP figures, based on government, police and hospital records.